Rashida Tlaib Leads Congress Members in Rebuking ‘War Criminal’ Netanyahu’s ‘Disgraceful’ Visit

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza—including over 16,000 children—have been killed by Israeli forces since October, and the International Criminal Court is currently seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Still, he came to address Congress on Wednesday. Thankfully, numerous Congress members, led by the lone Palestinian-American member, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), refused to roll out the red carpet for him. While several members boycotted, Tlaib attended and wielded a sign that read “WAR CRIMINAL” on one side and “GUILTY OF GENOCIDE” on the other.

In May, Speaker Mike Johnson—who’s accepted over $100,000 from the pro-Israel PAC AIPAC—first invited Netanyahu to speak to Congress “to build on our enduring relationship and to highlight America’s solidarity with Israel.” Ranking Democrats Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, as well as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, also signed onto Johnson’s invitation at the time. 

This week, Johnson sent a letter to Congress members, threatening to arrest anyone who protested the Israeli war criminal’s remarks. Regardless, dozens of Democrats still either vocally criticized Netanyahu’s presence or invited Palestinian guests as well as family members of Israeli hostages who have been abandoned by Netanyahu to his address. Only 100 of the 212 House Democrats and 27 of 51 Senate Democrats (and Democratic-caucusing Independents) attended Netanyahu’s speech, per Axios. By comparison, in 2015, just 58 Democrats in Congress boycotted Netanyahu’s speech to Congress.

“Netanyahu is a war criminal committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” Tlaib said on Tuesday. “It is utterly disgraceful that leaders from both parties have invited him to address Congress. He should be arrested and sent to the International Criminal Court.” In a lengthier letter, she wrote: “This event is a celebration of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. It is a sad day for our democracy when my colleagues will smile for a photo op with a man who is actively committing genocide.”

Netanyahu labels American anti-genocide protesters as “useful idiots” and receives a standing ovation.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib stays seated and holds up a sign that reads “WAR CRIMINAL”. pic.twitter.com/F4XlGsDYKn

— AIPAC Tracker (@TrackAIPAC) July 24, 2024

Before the address on Wednesday, Tlaib invited Hani Almadhoun, a Palestinian from Gaza who survived Israel’s genocidal campaign, to her office. “[Almadhoun] has lost over 150 members of his extended family in Netanyahu’s genocide,” she said. Sharing the story of how Almadhoun’s sister had to eat animal feed to survive under Israel’s blockade, she wrote in a follow-up tweet, “The Israeli apartheid regime is using starvation as a weapon of war, a war crime. They will not erase us. Palestinians exist and we deserve to live.”

Prior to the speech, 50 House and Senate Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, Sen Patty Murray (D-WA.), Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), stated that they would not attend, either to boycott or attend to other commitments. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Netanyahu to resign in March… though he still originally invited Netanyahu, then attended the speech and gave him a terse greeting. Meanwhile, President Biden missed the speech as he recovers from covid and Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is out of town for a campaign event in Indianapolis. 

Earlier this week, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) called Netanyahu “the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2100 years ago.” Sanders on Tuesday called Netanyahu a war criminal on the Senate floor: “This will be the first time in American history that a war criminal will have the honor of addressing a joint meeting of Congress. With this invitation, it’s increasingly difficult, with a straight face, to lecture any country about human rights and dignity.”

Standing ovation for genocide pic.twitter.com/2oAI3lVpjG

— Eli Valley (@elivalley) July 24, 2024

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), a vocal critic of Israel’s war crimes, told one reporter on Tuesday that in lieu of attending Netanyahu’s address, he planned to “[have] a Snickers bar.” In a statement on Wednesday, he said, “I only regret that an arrest warrant for his war crimes has not yet been issued by the ICC, as I would have gladly served it to him on the House floor.” Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), one of the first Congress members to demand a ceasefire, is also boycotting Netanyahu’s speech, and said that inviting him to Congress amounts to “continuing to green-light genocide” and “celebrating the man at the forefront of that genocide.” In remarks on the House floor on Wednesday, Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA)—who in April defeated a pro-Israel primary challenger targeting her over her support for a ceasefire—stressed that “women and children” are the majority of fatalities in Gaza, and questioned why the U.S. rewards his “war crimes” with “excuses and bombs.”

Other Democrats, apparently content to hitch their wagons to a man who’s facilitated the deaths of tens of thousands of people, welcomed Netanyahu. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who’s laughed in the face of a veteran arrested for protesting the genocide in Gaza, donned a suit for Netanyahu’s visit in a rare display of respect while joining a bipartisan delegation of Congress members who escorted Netanyahu into the chamber. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) shook his hand.

Ahead of and during Netanyahu’s visit, thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators marched through D.C. and the Halls of Congress to protest the ongoing genocide. As of Tuesday, hundreds have already been arrested. Netanyahu’s visit also coincides with seven labor unions, together representing six million workers, signing a letter to demand that Biden stop sending weapons to Israel.

Even as numerous Congress members joined Tlaib in rebuking Netanyahu’s visit, the Israeli prime minister still received a standing ovation from a chamber that at least appeared crowded. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez eventually told her Twitter followers on Wednesday that when a noticeable amount of Congress members are absent for events like this, “they fill the seats with non-members, like what they do at award ceremonies, in order to project the appearance of full attendance and support.” Still, it’s a photo that will inevitably go down in history immortalizing those Congress members in attendance and their support for genocide.